The Sims 4, 6 years of activity not long after, continues its expansion path. On this occasion, the Star Wars Journey to Batuu Game Pack, XNUMXth additional product that also joins the various Expansion and Stuff packs created to stimulate the creativity of Simmers. When two strongly characterized universes meet, with their own style and a different narrative approach such as Star Wars and the best known and most played simulation game all over the world, the risk of distorting one to the detriment of the other is a real threat that nevertheless we feel averted in this specific adaptation of the Disney world to the plots and dynamics of the Maxis game. It must be said that the announcement of Star Wars Journey to Batuu was not welcomed with the warmest of welcomes by the most active Simmers and participants in the evolution of the title, who considered it a distraction capable of removing resources from far more requests. important expectations for a long time at stake.
The Sims 4 is truly a title for a wide and heterogeneous audience that combines under the same name the most disparate interests and very diversified playing styles: from the designer of incredible looks to the architect and urban planner through the player who only wants to be more relaxed. to be the protagonist of a story that writes day by day, accidents and related triumphs. Additional content does not always necessarily meet everyone's interests, even more so if they are very specific like a pack entirely dedicated to Star Wars. If you are unlikely to get excited by the elegance of a Lightsaber or by an astroid in tow, it is difficult for you to feel the strength of this package. However, we will examine the CAS, the Buy / Build mode and the gameplay of the actual Batuu destination to accompany you on this interstellar journey.
The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu: Create a Sim
Greatness does not matter, Grand Master Yoda would say, yet this Game Pack is very rich in content compared to other expansions, which can only make players happy who will be able to have access to a large number of elements. The Create a Sim mode has on the whole satisfied us while presenting its strong points with some compromises. If you were hoping to see new alien races included starting with the Twi'lek, the Bith or the Weequai you will be disappointed because the face changes are done by selecting a hat. More than a distinctive trait of a species we are dealing with masks which, however, manage to give you an at least "exotic" look because they are also applied to arms and legs and behave as if they were skin. Of the new haircuts we especially appreciated the variant with shatush with very eccentric shades, a tribute to Vi Moradi, the symbolic character of the Galaxy's Edge amusement park, but which lends itself well to giving a youthful and sparkling look to your Sim. The men's cuts by number are less exciting, only two, and the absence of new beard styles.
The clothes, on the other hand, are really well made: we can immediately recognize in the suits the iconic garments that characterize the First Order and the Resistance. It is a very detailed pack that recalls 100% the unmistakable style of Star Wars and for this reason clothing use may be limited to exploring Batuu or some themed party. A slightly different story if we browse the looks or single pieces that can be composed, where some combination suitable for everyday life catches the eye more among jackets, skirts and a good number of trousers. Apart from the sometimes a little "poor" style of the rebels, the main theme could undoubtedly be that of adventure, which makes this pack also a good complement for Selvadorada, or if you want, more in line with camping and outdoor activities. We do not hide from you that if in reality we could go to work every day in Mandalorian armor we would do it on the spot. To complete it all there is a new aspiration called "Star Wars" which is divided into two branches: "Hope against Order" and "Galactic Corsair" dedicated to those who do not want to take sides with either the Resistance or the First Order but prefer live his adventure among smugglers and bounty hunters. Note that the Game Pack does not include any new traits.
Let's build our empire
The Buy / Build mode is enriched with many objects with a good number of color variations. The already complete rooms show attention also to the exteriors with Garden of meditation perfect for a park or a corner of tranquility and Distant Desert, with the Resistance tents that are well suited to recreate a camping in the desert. In this regard, given the absence of new lots within the Game Pack, if you have the basic version of the game you will find it more appropriate to set up tents in Oasis Springs. We understand that the camping theme can be redundant if you already have The Sims 4 Outdoor Trip. As for the interior, the package veers strongly towards "commercial" installations and many of the elements are undoubtedly suitable for bars, restaurants and clubs. This seems to us a direct consequence of the fact that the additional content is not based on a new world but on the Galaxy's Edge thematic area within Disneyland which, in addition to offering a themed experience, is mostly made up of shops and points refreshment. In fact, we were very impressed above all by the possibilities of creating a truly impressive bar, combining the counters even in a less conventional and flat way than those we were used to. Our Bartender Sim also enjoyed the brand new cocktails to make.
As for the CAS, here too we have to deal with a decidedly branded product with very specific aesthetics that can encounter more than one difficulty in being inserted in a classic urban context, even if we are sure that the Simmers will be able to reuse them perhaps for post scenarios. apocalyptic or more industrial architecture. In fact, the quantities of boxes and metal objects are generous. As expected, the furnishings far outweigh the objects with interactions, but if you want to entertain guests with a game of Sabacc as you show off the model of the Millennium Falcon, engage in a lightsaber duel or show all the droids astromechs you recovered in Batuu then you can transform your home into a galactic mansion with all the trimmings.
We are the spark
After an overview of the SAC and construction it is time to pack up and take a nice vacation. As anticipated, The Sims 4 Star Wars Journey to Batuu is not a new world in its own right but a vacation destination. Just pick up the phone, click on the “Take a vacation…” interaction in the Travel category and select any accompanying Sims and destination. The first novelty compared to Gita in the open air, for example, is that there is no rental fee for the days of stay and this is because there are no lots in which to settle. The Batuu "neighborhood" is therefore divided into 3 areas in which we can spend as much time as we want without worrying about any tourist taxes. To further differentiate Batuu from other locations is the presence of a single currency: galactic credits. Without galactic credits we cannot shop in stores. To get them we will have to complete missions or win them in one hand of Sabacc. Star Wars Journey to Batuu is in fact a narrative pack, in which we can make our choices but we will still be guided by a main mission depending on the faction chosen between Resistance, Rogues and First Order. If the concept doesn't seem entirely new to you, it's probably because you've already played Strangerville and know how important it is to interact with the various factions to get clues.
Star Wars Journey to Batuu takes this concept forward in a different way. Not a single story but three, each linked to a faction. The missions completed will also earn us respect, increasing the faction indicator that can be consulted from the Simology tab. With each new rank obtained, we will also unlock rewards, such as clothes, decorative objects and new interactions to show off both in Batuu and outside it. In this way Maxis has added a replayable element that prevents the content from running out immediately if you want to get all the items available for each of your Sims. As for the missions themselves, it starts with something as simple and familiar as talking to the people of Batuu to find out where to find the Resistance, the First Order and the Rogues.
Each faction has in fact one or more leaders, to which to turn to obtain tasks or purchase items, and dwells in a specific space of Batuu. The Resistance hides from the First Order in its encampment in the woods, hidden as much as possible from the gaze of suspicious individuals. Secrecy is a fundamental element and to be accepted we will first have to demonstrate a strong motivation to the cause and maybe we will even be able to access an X-wing or challenge Rey to a duel. The central area is formed by the Black Spire Outpost, the nerve center of commercial activities with its stands for food such as the Roast of Ronto and the Baia d'Attracco 7, the Tana dell'Antichità dell'itoriano Dok-Ondar for some precious souvenirs and the Cantina di Oga, a favorite haunt of bounty hunters and smugglers , as well as bisca del Sabacc. The highlight is the majestic Millenium Falcon that Hondo Ohnaka borrowed from Chewbacca for his "legitimate shipping company". The remaining area is the First Order Quarter, patrolled by Stormtrooper and held up by Lieutenant Agnon. The main attractions are the Droid Depot, where you can get an R or BB type astromech droid and the TIE Echelon which can prove to be essential in some missions. Our exploits may attract the attention of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren.
The reconstruction of Batuu and the layout of Galaxy's Edge is very faithful to the amusement park and overall the construction of the environments really makes you breathe the air of Star Wars. The most successful and evocative area is the central one of the Black Spire, above all because the Cantina di Oga catalyses the flow of inhabitants and visitors, while the other areas appear more bare and with fewer points of interaction. The Cellar stands out even more because it is among the few buildings that can be visited internally, unfortunately the shops are none other than Rabbit Hole - the buildings in which a sim enters and disappears - with no possibility to interact except with a contextual menu from which to order dishes or assemble droids. A real shame because the great care in representing Batuu's backbone would have been appreciated also for the interiors of the other stands. We would have exploded with joy to be able to visit the interior of the Millenium Falcon as well, but in the absence of more complex flight mechanics it would probably have been too expensive to build it with so much skill. For all missions involving an aircraft we should in fact be satisfied with the mechanics already seen for space travel: small text adventures to be completed by choosing from a few options, many of which are influenced by the use of an object present in the inventory or by the support of a droid.
Having a droid in tow offered some gameplay ideas a little different than usual, but it is not possible to ignore the basic repetitiveness that comes with the assignments. Thanks to our ally we could approach a mission in a different way, for example by sending him to tamper with crates, to crack the code to unlock terminals or to create havoc to distract the NPCs from which we do not want to be identified while we commit some infraction. By purchasing chips we can also change their voice and personality, but the more interesting it is the ability to perform an update as long as you have the right level of dexterity. Depending on the type of task it may be a good idea to choose a different type of upgrade. We're not claiming that Star Wars Journey to Batuu makes The Sims 4 an RPG or an open world, but it is mostly in these small interactions that the Game Pack lives up to the concept of “make your story however you like”. Coming home after a vacation in Batuu can be a little melancholy, but we may carry recipes, lightsabers, toys and even our own droids, and even if we don't have access to the full range of interactions we could always play, chat, and use them as portable radios.
